Tit for Tat

Tit for Tat

“Tit” for Tat
In a world where bigger is better, we as a country have been trying to out do and gain a leg up on everyone. It is starting to take a toll on our bodies. Plastic surgery has been on the rise, and what used to be shunned is now widely accepted and now in some cases expected. Everything is now possible from making an overgrown gut smaller, a flat butt more voluptuous, or making an undersized bust outrageously massive. From 1997 to 2003 plastic surgery has skyrocketed 299%. Breast augmentation is changing the shape of the world. Today, it is the most commonly performed cosmetic surgical procedure in the United States. According to the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, more than 125,000 breast augmentation procedures are performed each year. People are now shelling out the big bucks for youth and beauty. All of those assets come with a price. Most women think now they need to be skinny and have a big chest to even be someone in this world. Medical advances, greater public acceptance of plastic surgery, and the media have all contributed to the problem. Men also contribute their ideal woman, which television and pornographic material create; but in reality most women aren’t Barbie dolls and shouldn’t have to be to succeed or be someone in life. Dr. David Sarwer, a University of Pennsylvania psychologist who has studied augmentation, said “The current ideal of female beauty -- that of a thin, well-toned, yet big-breasted woman -- rarely occurs without restrictive dieting, excessive exercise, and cosmetic surgery.” Women today don’t need boob jobs because they create an unrealistic prototype of women, make physical features the main focus, and can also be very dangerous.

Plastic surgery dates back as early as 700 BC, when doctors in ancient India were performing skin grafts. By the 1st century, Romans were performing procedures that involved repairing damaged ears. The word plastic comes from the Greek word...